Cottage Style Living (photo courtesy of HGTV website)
Cottage style is used widely today. It is perfect when wanting to integrate vintage furniture and collections into the room.
“Jo’s School-House-Cottage-Retreat” is the style name I selected for the bedroom I’m currently working on. But, now that it is coming together, I think “cheery” and “cozy” should be added to the title. To walk into this space just lifts your spirits and you can feel the warmth and sunshine!
My client is also my friend - Jo Tucker. We’ve had many cups of tea in her hospitable kitchen/dining area. So, in the course of some of those tea-time-conversations, she asked me to help her begin redecorating her house. I jumped at the opportunity and together we began making our plans.
Jo is a retired schoolteacher who, after losing her long time mate, wanted to move into another bedroom in her house to start a new chapter in her life. She really wanted to incorporate some of her “school-house” collection into the room and indicated that she liked warm colors on the expansive color palette. From the magazine pictures that she had pulled, I knew the ‘cottage’ look fit her tastes and lifestyle. However, the light filled room she wanted to move into only measured 11 x 11 which presented a challenge in placing the furniture she wanted to use. So, the work began.
After sketching out the room arrangement that involved opening up the closet to be able to house her large beautiful dresser, we went on a shopping trip together to select paint color and fabrics.
Then, my client and friend, was off to a much needed cruise while I began the process of executing on our ideas.
Bedroom beginnings
Bedroom beginnings: wall to wall furniture.
[Note: Our 'mess' was not staged to make it look worse. :) It was due to Christmas and temporarily displacing Jo out of her other bedroom accommodations.]
Cleaning out the work area is critical in making progress for new ideas. It also gives you a fresh perspective for the coming changes.
Removing wallpaper is work no matter how many tricks you know! So, if you are not hiring it done, make a party out of it. Invite a few close friends to come over for two hours or so. Give them a spray bottle of diluted fabric softener with water, a putty knife, turn up the music and let the fun begin! We actually, didn’t get any ‘takers’ on our invitation but it would be fun nonetheless. 
"Yours truly" stripping wallpaper
North wall progress on old wallpaper
South and West wall progress on stripping wallpaper.
Another project that was preliminary to the success of this room was refinishing the antique bed that had belonged to the Jo’s grandmother. We decided it would be nice to have it match the beautiful dresser in wood color so earlier, I began the process off site in my own garage.
Beginning condition of antique bed
Contrasting finishes
To get a nice dark finish, you can use a black base coat. After sanding and cleaning the wood, I used oil base black and oil base dark walnut to attain the desired finish color. For the final coat, I sprayed it with semi-gloss clear lacquer.
Now…we get to paint the room! Even though I would not ‘bill’ myself as a painter, I did grow up in that phase of construction. My dad was a minister but he subsidized his income in being a painter. Later, after retiring from the ministry he began a painting business full time. Many others in my family circles have been or are currently in this trade. So, by osmosis, I can handle a paintbrush if I need to! I chose to be the designated painter on this project.
Our color palette was white, a warm yellow, a soft yellow-green, and red. Very ‘cottage style’ colors! We used the yellow as our primary color, and white and the soft yellow-green as our secondary color and red and even a little black as our accent color.
Finished painted walls in cheery yellow
Most of the woodwork was painted white but Jo wanted to keep her oak window trim, so we planned the window coverings to cover them to keep the white continuity going in the room.
The open closet was to be in our accent color. After taking out the doors, tracking, and readjusting the shelving (where I volunteered my husband to help me and took advantage of his attention to detail and perfection oriented work ethic), I patched the holes in the wall and primed the white walls with an inexpensive brown/black color to make the pretty red go on evenly and to be able to put on less coats of paint. [You can purchase miss-matched paint at your local paint store for very little money when looking for a primer.]
Beginning closet after the doors had been removed
Closet shelving before making it ready to show off!
Ugly primer paint and patch job!
Jo was leaving her existing carpet, so protecting it was critical when painting. I used plastic drop cloths that you can buy by the roll, and taped off the entire room around the baseboard to provide a functional work space for painting.
Want to see the finished closet? I love it!
Show off closet space is now a part of the room!
Pretty boxes were used to provide stylish storage. Vintage collectibles, quilts and daughter’s hand prints from days gone by gives a nostalgic touch.
To make the cottage look complete, you need the perfect ‘cottage’ window treatments. A good friend of mine and Jo’s - Brenda Stewart, offered to volunteer her sewing skills to make this room special for Jo. I gave her our selected fabric, a picture to look at and we were not disappointed! What a difference a seamstress can make!
Brenda doing her magic!
Jo's new reading corner shows off the pretty curtains!
Using red check gingham fabric and the soft green and red plaid - the look we were going for all came together. Brenda used plaid tabs on the gingham valance with gingham covered buttons. She also lined the panels and accented the bottom of each one with a red gingham wide border. Perfect!
Cottage Curtain Valance
To diffuse the light and provide privacy, I put up sheer panels underneath it all. We are getting there…
Tune in tomorrow to see the finished room! You’ve got to the see these adorable window coverings behind our refinished bed…all dressed up. And the unexpected furniture - re-purposed as a bedside table. I can’t wait myself!
